Write A Book, You Wimp!

 What are you working on? What have you done? Real talk, what haven't you done and why? Did you think that not writing a book is going to get books written? Does talking a big game qualify as productivity by your standards? Are your ideas too perfect for a mortal (wo)man such as yourself to translate to the written word? Are you letting the critic inside your head dismiss them before they even have a chance to live? So, here's the thing. That's stupid. It's better to have written a dozen bad books than none at all. Do you think Stephen King gives a shit if every book he writes is The Shining? I dunno. He probably hopes so, but at least he's willing to risk blowing hard. Sometimes, we need to write The Tommyknockers in order to get to The Gunslinger. (I don't really know about the timeline of that, nor do I care.) Watch Dead-Alive, then Lord of the Rings. So what if I love Dead-Alive and have never seen Lord of the Rings? You get my point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKuq0rpMvpk

 Your first book is going to suck. That's beside the point. Plus, who do you think you are? Bret Easton Ellis? You might as well leave that fear at the door. It isn't about the product. Of course, you need to do absolutely everything in your power to prevent the inevitable suck, but accept the futility of that. Without mistakes, how can you learn? You shouldn't be insecure or necessarily uncertain about your work. This isn't about extinguishing hopes; it's about exorcising fear. Yes, fall in love with your own writing. Be excited about it. Brag about yourself, at least to yourself. Just don't distract yourself with insecurity. Don't be ashamed to embarrass yourself. The opportunity to make a fool of yourself isn't something to take for granted. Sometimes it's better to say too much than to leave too much unsaid. If losing your virginity is your sexual apex, then you've got a long an unexciting road ahead of you. After the awkward fumbling of your first time, though, you'll walk a little taller. With time, you'll learn what to do and what not to do. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVcLIfSC4OE

 The thing is, finishing your first book, be it a novel, anthology of some sort, or just finishing whatever the fuck it is you've been meaning to do, is a necessary stepping stone to becoming the person you want to become. You don't build muscles watching TV. It takes effort, and principles. The lessons you gain from writing are like a moral code you develop as you live and learn. It's not always easy, and there's a lot of cruddy shit you'll wish you didn't have to live with, but you can't have tomorrow without today. You'll be a little more confident, a little wiser with each notch in your bedpost. (I'm actually a hard line monogamist, so don't take the sexual allegories as anything more than trash talk. I'm playing up my Mick to your Rocky, here.) ​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48Z-cnGaivE

Here's something most men won't tell you about lifting weights. It turns you gay, just a little. That's probably where the term, “no homo” originated, but I'm no historian and that's not my point, here. See, once you see another dude whose got the bulge (in his biceps!), you're not jealous or intimidated; you're just a fan. You know, at least to some extent, what it took to get him to that point and you respect and admire that. Writing a book isn't too different. Once you get a taste for it, you can begin to gauge how to approach a project. You can choose to see other authors as teammates or competitors, but at least they're on even ground. The only difference is that they're wealthy, successful, and can therefore afford to be more attractive than you. Unless this is all just an elaborate, subconscious way of me coming out of the closet, in which case disregard this entire paragraph.
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You're not a writer until you've written, so get writing. If you don't believe in yourself, then believe in those who believe in you. If you're some kind of friendless freak with no family and no one else believes in you, then I do, and for once, you can take my word for it.
-Todd